Jamaal Tatum also scored 19 points and Tony Young chipped in 17 for the
Salukis (26-5), who have won 12 straight games and will play Bradley on
Saturday in the semifinals.

Southern Illinois finished 48 percent from the floor.

“We come out with the same defensive intensity every game,” Tatum said.
“That’s the way play, and that’s the way we’re going to continue to play.
That’s how we’ve been successful, so many years in a row going into every game
with the same defensive mindset. That’s pressure and sticking to the
principles and play with intensity.”

Klayton Korver netted 14 points with five boards for the Bulldogs (17-15), who
fell to 11-29 all-time in the MVC Tournament. Ajay Calvin had 12 points and
Nick Grant deposited 10 points for Drake, which was coming off a 101-96
overtime win over Evansville in the first round.

“I felt we were a little sluggish early on,” Korver said. “We had some
turnovers, and that was due to the change from last night’s game to today’s
game. I thought we had the legs, but they were better than us. That’s why
they’re ranked 11th, and that’s why they won.”

The Salukis stormed out of the gate with a 12-4 spurt to start the game.
Drake, though, cut it to 14-13 on Korver’s three-pointer with 7:51 left in the
first half.

However, Southern Illinois held the lead and built up a 10-point advantage
late before Tatum drilled a trey as time expired for a 30-19 halftime edge.

Things remained the same in the second half as the Salukis led by as many as
17 before the Bulldogs cut their deficit to nine with 3 1/2 minutes remaining
on five straight points by Korver.

Southern Illinois, which led the entire game, went 17-for-21 from the charity
stripe the rest of the way to ice the game.

Game Notes

The Salukis own a commanding 49-19 advantage over Drake…The Bulldogs
finished 40 percent from the field.